Student Agency & Growth 

Acknowledgement of Country Workshop  

On Friday August 9, we were fortunate enough to work with Reconciliation Victoria for our Acknowledgement of Country Workshop. Students from all year levels represented their classes by participating in a rich discussion around the significance of an Acknowledgement of Country. Emily, Education Officer at Reconciliation Victoria, and her colleague Anna, guided our students through a series of thought-provoking questions and discussion prompts that called for all to consider what it means to connect to Country and acknowledge our nation’s immense history.

With the support Emily, Anna, Lucy Blackburne, Anna Russell, Fran Mullins, Luke Giblett and Nadia Devlin, we began to brainstorm ideas for our own Eltham High School Acknowledgement of Country. This is being drafted as a key milestone in our Reconciliation Action Plan, as we continue towards Reconciliation as a learning community. 

We encourage any students wishing to continue or join this conversation and learning to join our Reconciliation Action Plan Working Party (by emailing Nadia Devlin), and/or joining the Voices of Country Club that runs every second Wednesday (email Anna Russell for more information). 

Thank you to all students and staff who participated in this workshop, and to Reconciliation Victoria for spending this valuable time with us. We look forward to seeing where the continuation of this workshop takes us in our learning.

Vietnam Veterans Day Ceremony

At 11:00am on 10 August 2024, Scarlett Harrison (Year 11, Skipper House) and I were invited to lay a wreath on behalf of Eltham High School at the Vietnam Veterans Day Ceremony. 

This wreath commemorated those who fought in Vietnam between 1955 and 1975, and specifically the Australians who fought and made significant sacrifices between 1962-1975.

At the service, we reflected on the fact that some of the people who sadly lost their lives to this war were only 19 or 20 years old. It was acknowledged that others who survived continue to face mental health struggles as a result of their experiences.

We pay our respects to those who fought for us and for peace during this war.

Lest we forget.

By Tegan Gibbs (Year 11, Skipper House)

Push Up Challenge 

This year, students at Eltham High School participated in the annual Push-up challenge from the 5th to the 28th of June. The push-up challenge involves doing push ups daily, 3,249 total, representing the number of lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2022. The Push-Up Challenge is Australia's largest mental health and fitness event, not only raising awareness about the importance of mental health, but also raising money to help make a difference. In June, 34 students from Eltham High participated in this event, doing a wonderful job of supporting such a great cause. Together Eltham High totalled 53,803. During the same time, $836 was raised to support charities that promote better mental health outcomes in Australia. Thank you to all these students for this terrific effort!

Joe Maddocks (Year 12, Toner House)

Book Week Celebrations - House Reading Challenge

The Student Voice and Leadership team would like to invite all students, staff and parents to get involved with our House Reading Challenge to help celebrate Book Week (August 19-25). 

During the month of August, reading books can get you house points! To enter, simply complete this form each time you finish a book this month. There are House Points to be won for each house and year level, and bonus points will be awarded for those who read a book on the CBCA shortlist. https://cbca.org.au/shortlist-2024/

We will be tracking all the books we read in the Upper 100s. 

Winners of the EHS House Reading Challenge will be announced at the beginning of Week 8. 

So, who will read the most books?!

Staff? Students? Parents? 

Pakana? Skipper? Toner? Everard?

NADIA DEVLIN, Student Agency and Growth Leader

Eltham High’s Winter Warmer Jacket Drive

Do you have jackets you don’t wear anymore? Why not donate them to Eltham High’s Winter Warmer Jacket Drive? 

Eltham High School’s Harmony Team is collecting donated used jackets to Big Group Hug who will give out these jackets to people in need during these cold winter months.

Big Group Hug helped the 716,000 children under 15 who were living under the poverty line in Australia in 2020. Last financial year, the Big Group Hug charity distributed 120,000 items to families which included these jackets Eltham High is collecting.

Big group hug also saved 103 tonnes of recycling from landfill by giving pre loved clothing to people in need.

So do your part in helping this charity and donate any pre-loved jackets to someone in need all while showing your social and environment responsibility.

Donate between 30 July and 16 August to collection boxes in Junior School, Middle School and Senior School.

Thanks Eltham High’s Harmony Team!

Tegan Gibbs, Harmony Team Member